“No kidding,” Zak replied, tugging at his torn shirt. “I could tell that without the Force. What were they?” he asked, looking at Hoole.
Hoole’s face was very pale, and his eyes were still wide. It was the first time Zak or Tash could remember him looking at all afraid. Their uncle was obviously trying to hide his feeling, but he couldn’t. In a hoarse voice, Hoole said, “I do not know. But I’m sure that… it is not important to us.”
“They kept saying the name ‘Mammon,’ ” Zak remembered. “That’s that scientist who destroyed this place, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Deevee replied, tilting his silver head. “That is most curious. I wonder”-he looked at Hoole-“could these beings, these wraiths, possibly be related to the original inhabitants of this planet?”
“Perhaps. It does not concern us,” Hoole said. “Come. We should leave before they return. Our destination is very close.”
Hoole turned away and started toward the far end of the little valley. The others followed slowly behind.
“Did you see him?” Zak whispered to his sister. “I’ve never seen Hoole act like that.”
Tash nodded. “I don’t know what’s going on, but it has something to do with those… those ‘wraiths.’ Isn’t that what Deevee called them?” She shuddered. “I’m telling you, Zak, they were furious. And their fury was directed right at us!”
“Why us?” Zak replied. “We’ve never done anything to them. We’ve never even been here before-“
“I have a theory,” Deevee interrupted him. “Perhaps these creatures somehow survived the accident that destroyed their species. Maybe they call all offworlders `Mammon.’ “
“You could be right,” Zak agreed, looking back at the valley. “But I hope I never see them again to find out.”
They followed Hoole for another kilometer over the rocky terrain. As before, Uncle Hoole seemed to know exactly where he was going. He led them along winding paths in the hills, and through fields of tall, narrow rocks that rose from the ground like stone trees. Finally, they came to a narrow passage that led into a cliff. As they entered, they could see that they were in a dead-end canyon. At the far end of the canyon, Zak and Tash saw a large building that seemed to grow out of the stone itself.
The entrance to the fortress was a large durasteel door. It looked impossible to open. But to their surprise, Hoole walked up to the control panel, punched in a security code, and watched as the door slid back with a soft whoosh.
“Just how much information did you find back on Nespis 8?” Tash asked him.
“Enough,” the Shi’ido answered, stepping into the dark hallway beyond.
There were several chambers, and corridors leading off
in
many directions, but again, Hoole knew exactly where he was going. He led the others down a long corridor that led to the heart of the fortress, a large chamber in the center. In this chamber was an enormous command chair. Beside it was a control console, and above that was a row of viewscreens.
“Is this-Is this really Gog’s headquarters?” Tash whispered. “Is this where Project Starscream was created?”
“Yes,” Hoole said. He walked to the far end of the room, where there was another door, but this time, when he punched a combination into the security panel, the door failed to open.
“Deevee,” the Shi’ido called. “The power to this room is shut down.”
“I’ll take care of it, Master Hoole,” the droid replied. Approaching the control console, Deevee studied it for a moment and then ran his metal hands over a series of controls. Moments later, there was a loud hum as the room’s power systems started. The viewscreens lit up. But the monitors showed nothing but static.
“That’s going to tell us a lot,” Zak said.
“I shall see if I can make repairs,” Deevee said. He punched a few commands into the computer program, then paused as lines of text appeared on the computer screen before him. “This is most unusual. Why, Master Hoole, I seem to have stumbled upon-“
“Wait, Deevee,” Hoole interrupted. He was studying a computer terminal that had hummed to life. “I believe I’ve found the security codes that open this door.”
Hoole entered a series of numbers into the computer, and the inner door slid open with a loud rumble. Tash and Zak looked up as the door retracted to reveal a wide chamber with high ceilings. The walls were lined with electronic equipment. Hundreds of pipes and cables led to the center of the room, where they all connected to a single object. It was taller than Hoole, and made of gleaming black metal.